India's T20I, ODI squads for Sri Lanka tour: 5 significant selection decisions
The BCCI selection committee has announced the Indian squads for the tour of Sri Lanka during which the Men in Blue will play three T20Is and three one-dayers. Suryakumar Yadav has been named captain of the T20I squad that will play three matches at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium from July 27 to July 30. Rohit Sharma will lead the one-day team for the three-match series in August.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya was the vice-captain of the team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup under Rohit in West Indies and United States. However, despite his impressive performances in the ICC event, he has not been elevated to captain following Rohit's retirement from the T20I format. Pandya retains his place in the team but has been rested for the one-day leg of the tour.
In the wake of the much-awaited team announcement for India's tour of Sri Lanka, we take a look at five significant selection decisions.
#1 Sanju Samson features in only the T20I squad
The selection or non-selection of keeper-batter Sanju Samson has always led to huge debates over the years. Nothing has changed after the team for the Sri Lanka tour was announced. The 29-year-old Samson finds himself in the T20I squad but has been left out of the ODI squad.
The right-handed batter scored 58 off 45 in the fifth and final T20I of the series against Zimbabwe in Harare. It's pertinent to note that Samson was the Player of the Match in the last ODI he played for India. The keeper-batter scored 108 off 114 against South Africa in Paarl in December 2023, a knock that featured six fours and three sixes.
KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have been picked as the two keeper-batter options in the Indian team for the three-match one-day series.
#2 Shubman Gill has been named vice-captain for both ODIs and T20Is
Young opener Shubman Gill has been named the vice-captain of the Indian team for both the T20I and the ODI series. The 24-year-old recently captained India during the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe, which the Men in Blue won 4-1.
Gill was the leading run-scorer in the series, hitting 170 runs in five innings at an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 125.93. The right-handed batter also led Gujarat Titans during IPL 2024 but failed to guide them to the playoffs. He has the experience of 44 ODIs and 19 T20Is.
#3 Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play ODIs; Jasprit Bumrah rested
There were reports ahead of the squad announcement that seniors like Rohit, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah would be rested for the one-day series.
However, later it was said that new coach Gautam Gambhir was keen on having both in the one-day side, keeping in mind the fact that not many ODIs would be played ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy.
As Rohit has been picked, he would lead the team in the one-dayers. Kohli is also part of the team even as Bumrah has been given a rest. Had Rohit skipped the one-day leg, Rahul or Gill were likely to have been handed the captaincy.
Shreyas Iyer, who has lost his central contract, also finds a place in the one-day squad but is not in the T20I team.
#4 Riyan Parag has been picked in both squads
Interestingly, middle-order bat Riyan Parag, who made his India debut during the tour of Zimbabwe has been named in both the ODI and the T20I squads. The 22-year-old was dismissed for 2 and 22 the two times he batted in the series. Apart from his batting skills, Riyan can bowl a bit of leg-spin as well.
The right-hander had an impressive IPL 2024 season for Rajasthan Royals, scoring 573 runs in 15 matches at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.22, with four half-centuries. He has also picked up 41 wickets in T20Is and 50 scalps in List A matches.
#5 No place for Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who retired from T20Is after the World Cup, is among the notable absentees from the ODI squad named for the tour of Sri Lanka. The 35-year-old has the experience of 197 one-day matches, but the selectors preferred to look beyond him for the ODIs in Sri Lanka.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who did well in Zimbabwe, scoring 133 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 158.33, has been dropped from the T20I team. The right-handed batter doesn't find a place in the one-day team as well.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who was part of the Indian T20 World Cup squad, but didn't feature in a single game, has also been dropped.